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VOA慢速英语--You Can Learn English for a Hotel Job

时间:2019-06-25 22:50:38

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(单词翻译)

 

Imagine that you have just arrived at a hotel after a tiring 7-hour overnight flight. At the front desk, the staff person welcomes you, gives you a warm smile, confirms your reservation quickly and hands you your room key. They tell you the complimentary1 breakfast is still being served in the dining area.

You now feel completely at-ease, thanks to a hotel receptionist who did their job well.

Front desk staff are available for direct communication with guests all day, every day. They reserve rooms, check guests in and out, respond to all kinds of questions and resolve complaints. They may also recommend places to eat and shop and sights to see.

People travel for many reasons, and tourism is one of the biggest. In 2018, 1.3 billion people traveled overseas as tourists, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization.

Whether traveling abroad or domestically2, hotel guests often decide if they will stay at a hotel again based on their interaction with hotel staff.

And hotels around the world have at least one other thing in common: They use English as their lingua franca – Hotel English, to be exact.

So, what exactly is Hotel English?

It is polite spoken English that includes a lot of hotel terms and expressions. For example, a receptionist might say, “Welcome to the Potomac East Hotel. How can I assist you today?” and other expressions many times each day.

But, a hotel staffer’s day is never routine.

Guests make a range of requests. That is why a good ear for spoken English in a range of accents and speeds is critical to the role.

All in all, Hotel English is nothing to fear! Hotels generally offer training in what to say and how to respond. And, usually, perfect English is not mandatory3. The staff are instead expected to be effective communicators and offer outstanding service.

Mona Faal has been working in the hotel industry for nine years, first in Iran and then Washington, D.C. She has worked for the Hilton and Graham Georgetown. Currently4, she works at the front desk at the Hyatt. She joins us in person to talk about language she uses on the job and give advice to those interested in the profession.

ALICE BRYANT: Mona, thanks for being with us today.

MONA FAAL: Thank you for having me.

AB: Can you start by telling us some of the things you enjoy most about your job?

MONA FAAL: I would say the most enjoyable thing in my job: You can see different people every day. And, sometimes, they are coming with -- as a family. And, they are [excited] to be there. And, when you are nice to them, they appreciate you. And I really enjoy this feeling. I always appreciate them as well.

AB: Oh, great. Great. And, you have the opportunity at the place where you work now to talk with people from all over the world, right?

MONA FAAL: Exactly. They are coming from everywhere – from Europe, South America and any state. Because of this job, you can see the people from around the world. And the people has a different job, like some of them working in NASA, some of them are working in military. And, this is really interesting. This is really enjoyable.

AB: Oh, very nice. Next, we’re going to do something fun. So, imagine that I’m arriving at the front desk as a new guest...

Taking a Reservation

MONA FAAL: Hi, good afternoon. How can I assist you?

AB: Hi, how’s it going? I’d like to make a reservation for today until Thursday. Do you have any vacancies5?

MONA FAAL: So, what kind of room you looking for? Are you looking for king or double queen? Or we have king suite6 as well.

AB: I just need something with a simple bed. But, I’m hoping to have a room with a nice view.

MONA FAAL: Okay, the thing is…yeah, right now we are in middle of the city. But I try to find a nice room for nice view and quiet room. Is it important to be far away from elevator?

AB: It’s better if I’m not near the elevator.

MONA FAAL: Okay, so let’s look up our occupancy for tonight. And you said what’s your departure date's going to be?

AB: So, today – Monday – until Thursday.

MONA FAAL: Okay. So, our rate for tonight it looks like $219 before tax. Is it ok for you if I go ahead and make you a reservation?

AB: Okay, and what’s included in the price? Do you have a gym? Do you have a pool?

MONA FAAL: Yes, ma’am. Our hotel has a 24-hour gym. We have a pool, which is 10:00 to 10:00 – from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. And we have two restaurants at the hotel which is one at the rooftop and it’s open every day except Sunday. And our restaurant here at the third floor, it’s 24 hours.

AB: Oh, great.

MONA FAAL: Okay, so I’m going ahead and make your reservation with this rate. Could I have your ID and your credit card as well?

AB: Sure. Here you go.

MONA FAAL: Okay, thank you. I’m going to put your information at the system. And, let’s find a nice room for you...

I’m going to give you a catalogue which is all hotel information there. You can find any restaurants nearby and some more information about the check-in/check-out time. And If you need any map of the area, it’s right behind you. If you need any tour for D.C., we have concierge7 here from morning until 6pm.

And let’s go ahead and check you in. Thank you for staying with us. And let’s give you the room number. There is a keypad at the elevator. You need to tap your key first and after that press your floor.

AB: Okay, great.

MONA FAAL: Is there anything else I can help you today, ma’am?

AB: Yes, actually, I would like a wake-up call tomorrow at 7 a.m.

MONA FAAL: OK, Ms. Alice, I’m going ahead and put the wake-up call for you. I’m here until 11. If you need anything else, I’m Mona, I can help you as well, OK?

AB: Thank you so much. Great.

MONA FAAL: Enjoy your stay.

AB: Thank you.

Advice from the Field

AB: What advice would you give to non-native English speakers who are interested in a job as a front desk person?

MONA FAAL: So first thing I would say: If you have a chance to be a volunteer and just watch, just listen to the people who is working.

…If you got this opportunity, just listen. This is the things I do a lot. Sometimes I’m just listening too – because, in my hotel right now, not everyone is American. Everyone has accent.

…And the first thing that’s really important at the front desk: You can’t be a shy person and be at the front desk.

AB: So would you say you have to be a people person?

MONA FAAL: Exactly! You should be really really nice with communicating with people because you going to see a thousand different people. And, they are tired. They are coming after a trip, sometimes after a long flight.

You should understand probably they’re not always in a good mood with you. Try to be like the people who can communicate with every kind of people.

AB: So, you have to be a people person, a good communicator, you have to be patient…

MONA FAAL: Exactly. Another thing I would say, you should have a good memory, too, in this job. This is the job you should be multitasking and doing a lot of things at the same time and you should have a good memory.

AB: OK, that’s great advice. Very good. Well, thank you so much again, Mona, for being with us today.

MONA FAAL: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Helpful Words and Terms

receptionist – n. a person whose job is to deal with the people who call or enter an office, hotel or someplace else

front desk – n. a place where people can get information or be served at an office, a hotel or elsewhere

staff – n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

reserve – v. to make arrangements so that you will be able to use or have something, such as a hotel room (noun: reservation)

check in – v. to report to someone when you arrive at a place (such as an airport or hotel) to let them know you are there

check out – v. to leave and pay for your room at a hotel, motel8 or somewhere else

complaint – n. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something

complimentary – adj. given for free

lingua franca – n. a language that is used among people who speak various different languages

recommend – v. to say that something is good and deserves to be chosen

mandatory – adj. required by a law or rule

vacancy9 – n. a room in a hotel, motel, etc., that is available for use

occupancy – n. the number of people who are in a particular building or room at one time

ID – n. an identification10 card, such as a driver’s license11 or passport

catalogue – n. a book containing a list of things that you can buy, use, etc., and often pictures

king, double, king suites12 – n. types of rooms offered at many hotels

ma’am – n. short for “madam”

concierge – n. an employee at a hotel whose job is to provide help and information to the people staying there

people person – n. someone who is good at

multitasking – gerund. the act of doing several things at the same time


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 complimentary opqzw     
adj.赠送的,免费的,赞美的,恭维的
参考例句:
  • She made some highly complimentary remarks about their school.她对他们的学校给予高度的评价。
  • The supermarket operates a complimentary shuttle service.这家超市提供免费购物班车。
2 domestically 06f77e955fe50f3f36b81911126cb8ec     
家庭式地,合乎国内地
参考例句:
  • China will use domestically-made "black boxes" flight data recorders in its airplanes. 中国飞机将采用国产飞行资料记录仪“黑匣子”。
  • Domestically, agricultural saving frequently occurs in kind. 从国内来说,农业储蓄经常以实物形式出现。
3 mandatory BjTyz     
adj.命令的;强制的;义务的;n.受托者
参考例句:
  • It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
  • There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。
4 currently SvMzI2     
adv.通常地,普遍地,当前
参考例句:
  • Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
  • Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。
5 vacancies f4145c86ca60004968b7b2900161d03e     
n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 );空虚;空白;空缺
参考例句:
  • job vacancies 职位空缺
  • The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
7 concierge gppzr     
n.管理员;门房
参考例句:
  • This time the concierge was surprised to the point of bewilderment.这时候看门人惊奇到了困惑不解的地步。
  • As I went into the dining-room the concierge brought me a police bulletin to fill out.我走进餐厅的时候,看门人拿来一张警察局发的表格要我填。
8 motel 8EzxV     
n.汽车游客旅馆
参考例句:
  • Late that night he landed at a motel.那晚他到了一家汽车旅馆。
  • The motel manager showed the guests to their room.汽车旅馆经理把旅客领到他们房间。
9 vacancy EHpy7     
n.(旅馆的)空位,空房,(职务的)空缺
参考例句:
  • Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
  • The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。
10 identification RbFxK     
n.视为同一,证明同一,确认
参考例句:
  • He's made a formal identification of the body.他正式确认了死者身份。
  • We should have identification card on the person when we go out.我们外出时应随身携带身份证。
11 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
12 suites 8017cd5fe5ca97b1cce12171f0797500     
n.套( suite的名词复数 );一套房间;一套家具;一套公寓
参考例句:
  • First he called upon all the Foreign Ministers in their hotel suites. 他首先到所有外交部长住的旅馆套间去拜访。 来自辞典例句
  • All four doors to the two reserved suites were open. 预定的两个套房的四扇门都敞开着。 来自辞典例句

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